Belgium accredits A.R.E.S. as first sex-work employer

The Belgian federal employment service has granted its first accreditation of a company as an employer of sex workers under an employment contract. By ministerial decree of 19 August 2026, published in the Moniteur Belge of 24 August 2026 (p. 46036), the company A.R.E.S. SRL was formally recognised as an employer of sex workers within the meaning of the law of 3 May 2024 on sex work under an employment contract.

The decision, bearing official reference 2026/202015, was taken by the Federal Public Service Employment, Labour and Social Dialogue (SPF Emploi), which received the company’s application by registered letter on 27 February 2026.

Legal framework

The accreditation is granted under the law of 3 May 2024 on sex work under an employment contract, which for the first time allows sex workers to be employed under a formal labour contract. The procedure is set out in the royal decree of 20 October 2024 fixing the accreditation procedure for employers occupying sex workers.

The decree states that all the conditions for granting accreditation provided for in article 14 of the law of 3 May 2024 and in articles 2, 3 and 5 of the royal decree of 20 October 2024 have been met.

The accredited company

A.R.E.S. SRL is accredited as an employer within the meaning of article 2, first paragraph, 2°, of the law of 3 May 2024. The key identifiers of the decision are:

• Company name: A.R.E.S. SRL (A.R.E.S. BV in Dutch)
• Company number: 0842.786.379
• Accreditation number: 13
• Date of the decree: 19 August 2026
• Entry into force: the day of publication in the Moniteur Belge

Scope and entry into force

Article 1 of the decree formally recognises the company as an employer of sex workers under an employment contract, while article 2 provides that the decree enters into force on the day of its publication in the Moniteur belge. The decision was signed in Brussels on 19 August 2026.

This first accreditation marks a concrete step in the implementation of the 2024 reform, giving sex workers employed under contract the same labour and social protections as other employees.

Source: Moniteur Belge, 24 August 2026, p. 46036 (official reference: 2026/202015).